Help a newbie or two?

My friend and I recently purchased Starcraft II: HotS in hopes that the expansion would level the playing field a bit and allow newcomers an easier time. After our 5 placement matches in 2v2 we were forced to accept that we are bad. Really bad. We've won 1 game so far.

So I ask you for help fellows. I play Zerg and he plays Protoss. I've thought about trying different races but I'd like to stick to what I'm used to. Are there any good beginner build orders that are easy to execute? Any good Zerg players (besides IdrA) to try and emulate? What are some good unit compositions? Any good PZ strategies? Any help is appreciated.

Sorry for the longish post, but I'd like some pointers. Feel free to ask me anything that might help you give advice.